bite and sting share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. bite means “a wound resulting from biting by an animal or a person”. sting means “a kind of pain; something as sudden and painful as being stung”. bite is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈbaɪt/
1.n.a wound resulting from biting by an animal or a person
2.n.a small amount of solid food; a mouthful
“all they had left was a bit of bread”
3.n.a painful wound caused by the thrust of an insect's stinger into skin
/ˈstɪŋ/
1.n.a kind of pain; something as sudden and painful as being stung
“the sting of death”
2.n.a mental pain or distress
“a pang of conscience”
3.n.a painful wound caused by the thrust of an insect's stinger into skin
| bite | sting | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈbaɪt/ | /ˈstɪŋ/ |
| Said | bahyt | sting |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 4 | 5 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | noun, verb |
| Senses | 13 | 10 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | none recorded | stinging |
Full entry for bite · Full entry for sting · More comparisons